SU 2019

8th ISCAR Summer University for PhD students

Scientific school of Cultural-Historical Psychology, associated with the names of L.S.Vygotsky, A.N.Leontyev, A.R.Luria, A.V.Zaporozhets, D.B.Elkonin and V.V.Davydov currently attracts attention of many representatives of the international scientific community. Preservation and development of this tradition all over the world defines several important directions of work, including elaboration of a unified system of concepts, support of joint projects and research in the field of professional training of specialists for the system of education and social sphere.

Despite more and more Russian and foreign scholars applying the ideas of L.S.Vygotsky in their research, interpretation and understanding of the theoretical and methodological basis of this scientific approach often remains incomplete. Thus, turning to the original texts of L.S. Vygotsky and his followers represents one of the priorities in international psychological studies. This trend determines the common interests of Russian and foreign researchers and creates the necessary basis for joint discussions and scientific projects.

The ISCAR Summer University provides a broad introduction into the theory and practice of research in the field of development and education with a focus on the cultural-historical psychology and activity approach (L.S. Vygotsky, A.N. Leont’ev, A.R. Luriya). The ISCAR Summer University covers the following subject areas:

– Methodology of psycho-pedagogical research (methodological foundations of the cultural-historical theory and activity approach in the research of various aspects of education and development, research on modern childhood; philosophy of education and science; examples of research projects in the field of psychological science and education);

– Scientific research and communication in education (solving pedagogical problems in education; activity approach in investigating problems of communication in the social sphere; cross-cultural communication in professional interaction);

– Theoretical and experimental research of learning and development.

The 8th ISCAR Summer University is created to give participants from different countries the opportunity to:
•broaden their knowledge and improve their research skills
•present their research project
•participate in discussions, share ideas and get feed-back from the leading international experts in the field of theoretical and practical application of cultural-historical psychology and activity approach

The ISCAR Summer University is aimed at future professionals in the field – academics, researchers, educational specialists, teachers, psychologists, who are interested in psychological and pedagogical research of childhood development and education.

The 8th ISCAR Summer University aims at investigating the perspectives of interdisciplinary research in the framework of cultural-historical and activity theory as a way to deal with various problems that emerge in modern education. Following the tradition of the previous ISCAR Summer Universities held in MSUPE since 2010, international experts in the field of socio-cultural-historical approaches will be invited to participate, and a range of activities will be scheduled. The 8th ISCAR Summer University will also address the issues concerning future careers of PhD students (post-doc positions, research funding etc.).

SU activities:
•lectures by leading scholars;
•presentations of the participants` research projects;
•group discussions;
•focus groups and individual consultations;
•problem-oriented workshops (especially on methodology & data analysis on the basis of participants’ research materials)

Abstract publication
The participants` research abstracts of participants will be published in a “Collection of abstracts” digest. Authors of the best presentations will be given the possibility to publish their work in the journal “Cultural-Historical Psychology”.
Please, be informed that all presentations are video recorded, and videos are uploaded to the Summer University website for open access.ISCAR SU Language: English

Application
The application should consist of 3 separate attachments in English (.rtf or .doc) with:
•Motivation letter (should include information concerning the basic research problem that you are struggling with and why you want to deal with this in the framework of the Summer University)
•Abstract of research project (should include research title, brief description and references)
•CV (Full name, gender, place of residence, university, research supervisor, title of dissertation and year of study, place of work and any other related information, a portrait photo from 800kb to 3000kb). Please, provide information about scholarships and/or about the funding of your research project/PhD Dissertation as well as information about participation in other PhD Events/ Conferences/ Workshops.
Applications, which do not conform to the above requirements, or are submitted after the deadline will not be accepted for review!

Requirements of the Research Description
•font: Times New Roman; 12 pt.; interval 1,5;
•text volume: not more than 3 pages for each item;
•the abstract headline should indicate: topic of ISCAR SU 2019, full name, title, full name of research supervisor and his/her academic degree;
•list of references should be given in the end of the abstract and should not exceed 15 items.

Number of participants: The Summer University can only host a limited number of 24 participants.

Participation fees – €650Fees include academic program and tuition; accommodation in a standard double or triple room with bathroom facilities for the nights of Monday to Saturday inclusive; meals in dining area from dinner on Monday to breakfast on Saturday; transfer.

Travel costs should be covered by the participants. Participants are welcome to contact the organizers in case they need an invitation letter to apply for extra funding by their national agencies.

Acceptance criteria:
PhD students and young researchers will be accepted. A board of international reviewers will evaluate the applications according to the following criteria:
•Quality and Focus of Application
•First come – first served!

Venue: The main events of the ISCAR SU 2019 will take place at a picturesque suburban vacation house in Moscow area. Host institution is Moscow State University of Psychology & Education.

Contact information
The application materials (motivation letter, abstract of research project, CV) as well as all participation-related issues should be sent to summer.university.msupe@gmail.com A confirmation will be sent to your e-mail.